Mogale City’s traffic officers have noticed a worrying trend among drivers who travel with their children, and in this case, disobeying traffic safety rules could mean the difference between life and death for your loved ones.

The traffic officers have stated that many motorists who drive with their children do not use child car-seats to protect their children in case of an accident.

“Parents often seat their minor children on the front and back seats without the use of child car-seats.

This practice is extremely dangerous as it puts the lives of those children at risk,” said the Traffic Department’s spokesperson, Papi Motaung.

As a result, the Traffic Department is putting out an appeal to drivers to use approved child restraint seats when driving with children. Motorists who do not adhere to the law can be fined anything from R500 to R1 000.

“There are many laws regarding child restraint seats. The National Road Traffic Regulations of 2000, which are an adjunct to the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996, state that children under the age of three must be seated in an appropriate SABS-approved child seat. Older children (under the age of 12) must be restrained by a seatbelt in the back seat, or, if there are no rear seatbelts, the child must travel in the front seat, and be restrained by its seatbelt. Drivers who fail to adhere to these regulations can be fined an amount of R1 000,” Papi told the News.

Papi also said it is the responsibility of drivers to respect and adhere to the rules and regulations so that they can save the lives of their children.

Mogale City Traffic Department advises the following to motorists who drive with their children as passengers:

• Please buy a car seat approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)
• Read the manual very carefully and make sure that you understand it
• Do not place the car seat in the front seat, unless it is a rear-facing seat for an infant. All other car seats must be fitted in the back seat of the vehicle
• Do not allow children to stand up between the seats while you are driving.

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